Daniel Klein, a professor of economics at George Mason University, says in Econ Journal Watch that progressives do not understand how money works; basically they would flunk Economics 101.

Their Zogby research surveyed 4,835 American adults and found that the self-identified liberals or Democrats failed to understand even the simplest concepts, such as that restrictions increased costs. And even really obvious things, like that rent control decreased availability for people not in television sitcoms, or that licensing fees drove up costs of services - nothing. Despite the evidence. And even college-educated liberals did no better.

Basically, if the position did not reconcile with their aesthetic or moral belief, they simply decided not to accept it as valid. Good thing only Republicans hate science. If Democrats ever read what scientists actually believe about individual initiative, and that data will not always come down on gender, racial or economic boundaries they like, funding would disappear quickly.

Offended? If you can completely accept that Conservatives care less about people than you do, I know how you vote. But another study, this one from the University of Toronto, says just that. And it may explain why liberals don't seem to understand economics. Basically, if compassion is a priority, economic rationality will not be one. Bad gambling, to be sure, but it may be something of value for science.

At some point, psychologists may insist that values are are a part of our biology and genetic heritage. Politics as biology? A case could be made. Both selfishness and altruism have a function in biology and obviously in anthropology both sides have been essential to cultures that survived for any time. But does that mean you are born a certain political way? No, that is not how risk factors work, any more than you will get Alzheimer's because someone in your family has it. I am probably a moderate because I have long said a Republican is just a Democrat who got mugged while on the fringes of each side are some real kooks. But I am writing this article and studies say extremists are more willing to share their opinions. It can be rather confusing to people outside science.

Back to economics, the results, if accurate, would confirm what each side has long said about the other - their beliefs are not grounded in rational consideration of important issues. It is entirely rational to each side to believe what they believe and they will rationalize ways it is not debunking their beliefs. So while raising minimum wages increases unemployment liberals may find other factors to attribute unemployment to. Each side may not be able to help their beliefs if it is part of an underlying psychological need. America is a tale of two capitalisms if all this is true.

"We are beginning to understand the deeper motivations that are involved in determining an individual's political leanings," said Hirsh. "While everybody has the same basic motivational architecture, the relative strength of the underlying systems varies from one person to the next. If concerns for order and equality are relatively balanced, the individual is likely to be politically moderate; as either motive grows stronger than the other, political preferences move further to either end of the spectrum."